After breakfast, Gu Xi got ready to leave.
Shen Mingrong followed her like a little shadow, asking, “Xi-jie, Xi-jie, do you want me to go back with you?”
Gu Xi glanced back at the boy behind her. She knew well enough how much he cared, so she teased, “I have some things to take care of at home. I’m going to stay there for a few days. Do you want to come with me?”
“Sure!”
Shen Mingrong brightened up, clenching his small fists.
“I can help you beat up bad guys.”
Gu Xi was taken aback for a moment and said, “No need. You’re still little, and besides, the Gu Family doesn’t have any bad guys.”
They were just some annoying strangers. Since they were annoying strangers, beating them up wouldn’t cause any guilt.
Shen Mingrong gave her a look that said, “Don’t lie to me.”
Though young, he wasn’t a fool. He clearly saw how the Gu Family treated her—not as a daughter or sister, but with disdain because she had lived in the countryside before, bringing them shame.
Once, he overheard his mom and dad grumbling that the Gu Family’s way of doing things wasn’t straightforward and that they treated her badly.
It made him want to keep Xi-jie in his own house so she wouldn’t be bullied if she went back.
In his heart, Xi-jie was fragile and skinny. Those Gu Family people probably took advantage of her good temper to bully her, so she needed his protection.
He had no idea what Gu Xi was really up to this time; it wasn’t the victimized little thing he imagined.
Facing the boy’s swelling protective instincts, Gu Xi felt like laughing—it was so heartwarming.
Because she knew the Shen Family truly cared for and loved her, she didn’t mind the Gu Family’s bias and coldness. They disliked her, but the Shen Family liked her—that was enough.
Nothing in this world is perfect; you can’t expect too much. That was the truth she had realized after death.
Patting Shen Mingrong’s head, Gu Xi told him to stay home and not get into fights with the kids in the compound. She promised to come over in a few days.
“I won’t fight anyway,” Shen Mingrong mumbled, then asked suspiciously, “Will you really come?”
She only came every once in a while, stayed one night, and left again, which disappointed him. This time, Gu Xi stayed for several days because she was sick. Now that she was better, she would probably leave again.
Though none of them minded how long she stayed and hoped she would stay longer, she seemed worried about gossip and didn’t want to cause trouble for anyone.
In his opinion, she just overthought everything.
Gu Xi promised, “I’ll come, and I’ll tutor you too.”
Actually, Shen Mingrong’s grades were quite good and didn’t really need tutoring. Feng Min suggested it just to ease Gu Xi’s burden and keep Shen Mingrong from running around and fighting with the kids in the compound.
Though Shen Mingrong was always smiling sweetly like a little sweetheart, deep down he had the Shen Family’s spirit. Being a boy, he was naturally a bit combative.
Some of the kids in the compound came from similar backgrounds and rarely respected others. When conflicts arose, they’d settle them with a fight. Fighting was a regular occurrence.
Shen Mingrong frowned but, thinking that Gu Xi would come over, relented, “Okay then, you can teach me math.”
He felt he was sacrificing a lot and planned to ask his parents for more pocket money when they returned.
***
Just as she stepped out of the Military District Compound, a group of young people riding old-fashioned bicycles sped past.
Gu Xi stepped aside to avoid them.
Unexpectedly, the leader suddenly stopped, planting one long leg on the ground, eyes boldly scanning her face.
The others stopped as well, looking on like spectators.
When they recognized Gu Xi, they all exclaimed.
Although there were many young and pretty girls in the compound, ones as striking as her were extremely rare. She wore a simple white shirt and black pants, yet somehow carried them differently—standing there quietly and gracefully, impossible to ignore.
Young people were easily swayed and rarely resisted an outstandingly beautiful member of the opposite sex.
Especially since this girl looked so well-behaved—the innocent kind that struck straight at a young man’s heart. Several of them blushed.
“Hey, are you… Shen Mingrong’s sister?”
The leader asked.
As soon as he said this, the others chuckled knowingly.
“Huai-ge actually knows whose family she’s from? Has he taken a fancy to her?”
Someone said, “Huai-ge, you’re silly. Shen Mingrong doesn’t have a sister. This is Mingrong’s sister-in-law—the fiancée of that Shen Mingzheng.”
Hearing this, the group instinctively stepped back, suddenly wary.
Though all were children of compound families, there were differences.
Setting aside their parents’ status, Shen Mingzheng was undoubtedly among the best of their generation—the kind of kid everyone else admired from afar.
Even though he joined the military young and rarely came back, many stories about him circulated in the compound.
In their eyes, Shen Mingzheng was an insurmountable mountain, someone to look up to.
Though they weren’t the same age, most of them had older siblings who had grown up overshadowed by Shen Mingzheng. They often muttered about him behind his back, which stuck with them.
Knowing she was Shen Mingzheng’s fiancée, they dared not provoke her.
The group smiled awkwardly and quickly said, “Huai-ge, don’t forget we have business to take care of. Let’s go.”
Fearing Zhou Huaimin might do something to the girl, everyone agreed to leave quickly. After all, Zhou Huaimin’s grandfather was also a Revolutionary Elder and a comrade of Old Master Shen. The Zhou Family was no weaker than the Shen Family.
Others dared not mess with Shen Mingzheng, but Zhou Huaimin had no such reservations.
Seeing how timid the others were, Zhou Huaimin clicked his tongue and lazily glanced at Gu Xi before asking, “Where are you headed? Want me to give you a ride?”
His tone sounded considerate. It was hot out, and walking in the sun could be brutal.
Seeing her thin frame and porcelain-white, beautiful face, it was easy to worry she might faint from the heat.
Gu Xi looked at him calmly.
“Thanks, but no.”
She turned and left without another glance, her demeanor natural, back straight—not the shy or awkward girl facing a group of peers of the opposite sex.
The group silently admired how straightforward and tough she was.
She wasn’t like other girls who’d shy away or fidget. She remained calm.
They felt there was something… special about her. The contrast was striking.
They turned back to Zhou Huaimin, expecting him to be annoyed, but he looked indifferent.
What was going on here?
Zhou Huaimin ignored them and, seeing Gu Xi walk away, he too rode off with a bored look.
***
The public bus was crowded that morning. Gu Xi stood in a corner.
After resting for a few days at the Shen Family’s, her health had improved.
Though she still felt weak and fatigued, it didn’t interfere with her daily activities.
She had grown used to enduring such discomfort, so it was nothing to complain about.
The bus reached the stop, and Gu Xi followed the crowd off, heading toward the Cadres’ Compound.
As she entered the compound, a few middle-aged women returning from grocery shopping warmly greeted her.
One auntie asked, “Xi Xi, why haven’t we seen you lately? I heard from your parents you went to your uncle’s place—is that true?”
These women treated Gu Xi kindly but also with a hint of spectacle.
When the news of the Gu Family’s Mistaken Identity broke, the whole compound was abuzz.
They pitied Gu Xi, the child who had suffered in the countryside for fifteen years.
Though they felt sympathy, it didn’t stop them from watching the drama unfold.
Entertainment was scarce these days; even trivial matters drew widespread attention.
A Mistaken Identity case was especially rare.
After Gu Xi returned to the Gu Family, the compound had lively discussions about the swapped children.
People compared the two and enjoyed watching the Gu Family’s chaos, which somehow made their meals taste better.
Back then, Gu Xi had been dark, skinny, and short—rustic and unrefined.
Compared to the pampered Gu Yuanxiang, she looked pitiful.
Her timid and shrinking manner, wearing cloth trousers, was far from presentable.
But who knew how much a girl could change?
After a few years, she transformed from a country bumpkin into a stunning beauty.
She even went to high school and did well.
Regarding the Gu Family’s decision to take back their biological daughter but keep the adopted daughter, the compound had much to say.
Many understood the Gu Family’s reluctance to part with the girl they had raised for fifteen years.
But some believed Gu Yuanxiang should have been sent back to her biological parents.
Others thought the Gu Family was foolish.
Keeping Gu Yuanxiang under the same roof with Gu Xi meant constant reminders of Gu Xi’s past suffering on Gu Yuanxiang’s behalf.
They wondered how painful that must be for Gu Xi.
In the compound, everyone knew each other’s backgrounds.
Even if the Gu Family treated both girls equally in public, subtle differences showed.
The family favored the adopted daughter, Gu Yuanxiang, while the biological daughter, Gu Xi, was often ignored after returning.
These days, no one had seen Gu Xi around.
When Jiang Huijun and Gu Yuanxiang took over cooking and shopping, people realized Gu Xi might not be home.
Some asked where Gu Xi had gone.
The Gu Family said she was at her uncle’s.
Some believed it; many didn’t.
Gu Xi had come back halfway through and barely interacted with her uncle’s family.
Why would she visit him for no reason? Probably something was up.
Now that they saw Gu Xi, some nosy people asked her directly.
Gu Xi knew the Gu Family didn’t like her running off to the Shen Family, so she said she was at her uncle’s.
She didn’t argue and obediently greeted everyone before going inside.
As she entered, Gu Yuanxiang sat in the living room listening to the radio, accompanied by Chen Yunsheng, a close friend from the compound.
Seeing Gu Xi, Gu Yuanxiang froze for a moment, then said with a sour expression, “Xi Xi, why are you just coming back now?”
That day Gu Xi had hit someone and run off.
Everyone was furious, waiting for her return to give her a good scolding.
But she had been gone for days, unlike before when she might stay at the Shen Family’s only one night.
Their patience wore thin.
Some anger needed immediate release; if suppressed, it festered and grew.
Gu Yuanxiang felt her good temper was about to vanish.
Now seeing Gu Xi back, the frustration burst out at once.
Gu Xi said nothing and didn’t even look at her.
She turned and walked upstairs.
Entering her room, she found it in chaos.
Clothes and blankets were thrown on the floor with footprints on them.
Books on the desk were scattered, some torn, paper scraps everywhere, and the shelf was overturned.
Clearly, someone had taken out their anger on her room while she was gone.
Gu Xi bent down and picked up the scattered books, carefully gathering even the paper scraps.
As she tidied up, footsteps approached, accompanied by Gu Yuanhui’s arrogant voice.
“Gu Xi, come out here! Let me show you—I’ll beat you to death for daring to hit me…”
Gu Yuanhui had just returned and, learning Gu Xi was finally home, stormed into her room in a rage.
Before he could react, something flew at him and hit his face.
He screamed loudly, clutching his face and crouching down in pain.